Here are some error codes you may have come across and not sure what they mean. Some of them can be fixed without contacting your web hosting provider. These can be from misconfigured .htaccess file or your PHP settings aren’t set correctly.
Error 400 - Bad Request
Error 400, often known as “Bad Request,” is a client-side error that happens when a request given to a server is wrong or the server cannot understand it. This error indicates that the server was unable to perform the request due to incorrect syntax, missing information, or invalid arguments.
It frequently occurs when a user tries to view a webpage or interact with a web application but the server is unable to process the offered input. Users should evaluate their input and look for any errors in the URL or request parameters to address this issue.
To fix it, try this:
- Increase your WordPress memory
- By default, the WordPress memory limit is set to only 32 MB.
- Place the following code In the wp-config.php file.
- If the line already exists, increase the limit to 256M.
define( 'WP_MEMORY_LIMIT', '256M' );
Error 401 - Unauthorized
Error 401 is an HTTP status code that stands for “Unauthorized.” It indicates that the client (usually a web browser) lacks valid authentication credentials for the requested resource. Learn more about this error.
Error 403 - Forbidden
There are many safeguards in place to protect your WordPress site, including various “permission” levels. While this function can stop users from accessing your site who shouldn’t.
Error 404 - Not Found
This is the most common one a site visitor might see, compared to the other errors. A 404 error occurs when a user attempts to access a web page or file that doesn’t exist. It is common to have custom error 404 pages to match the look and feel of their website.
Error 405 - Method Not Aloud
The 405 Method Not Allowed error is your server’s way of saying that it has received the browser’s request but rejected it for some reason.
Error 429 - Too Many Requests
A 429 Too Many Requests error may appear if a user makes too many quick tries to access a particular resource. This is how your server blocks out unusual behaviours.
Error 500 - Internal Server Error
In addition to preventing users from accessing your site, normally caused by server mis-configuration. A 500 Internal Server Error can negatively impact your SEO if not resolved quickly. First thing to check is to clear your cache. If not resolved, then most likely you will need to contact your web hosting provider for assistance.
Error 502 -Bad Gateway
In addition to preventing users from accessing your site, normally caused by server mis-configuration. A 500 Internal Server Error can negatively impact your SEO if not resolved quickly. First thing to check is to clear your cache. If not resolved, then most likely you will need to contact your web hosting provider for assistance.
Error 503 - Service Unavailable
When a 503 Service Unavailable error appears, it means that for some reason your server can’t be reached. Although your website is up, it won’t be accessible to users.
This may be due to routine maintenance, high traffic levels, or a more serious problem with your server. The good news is that a 503 error won’t influence your search engine rankings. It can still be highly annoying to visitors, however.
To fix it, you can try:
- Deactivating your plugins.
- Switching to a default theme.
- Disabling your CDN.
- Limiting the WordPress Heartbeat API.
- Increasing your server’s resources.
- Enabling WP_DEBUG.
Error 504 -Gateway Timeout
Like a 502 error, the 504 Gateway Timeout response is the result of a problem with the communication between an inbound server and a proxy. Essentially, it means that the latter server timed out while waiting for the former to respond to a request.
Possible solutions include reloading the page, disabling any active proxy settings, checking your DNS for issues, and temporarily disabling your CDN.
Error 521 - CloudFlare
If your website is using cloudflare for its DNS, then you may encounter an error 521. Seeing a 521 error on your site means that Cloudflare can’t connect to your server. Either it’s down or is blocking the service for some reason. Generally speaking, checking to make sure your server is up and that your server’s firewall has whitelisted all of Cloudflare’s IP ranges and not in any block lists.
